Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club

Congratulations to BLBC members Janie Hillyer and Jim Corr for winning the Pacific Inter-mountain Division (PIMD) Singles women’s and men’s title!!!

“They sure didn't bowl like novices!”
BLBC Pres. Glenn Nunez to BLBCers on 12/4/2023:

After watching the participants during the eight morning matches of last Saturday's BLBC Novice Tournament, one of our club's veterans confided to me that he was glad he wasn't playing against them. We had some serious bowling going on. There were blowouts. There were matches decided on the last end. The four markers went through a lot of chalk. One end was so close that even the umpire declared it a tie. And there were just enough wrong-biased deliveries to keep it real.

I was tempted to start this paragraph with "When the dust settled," but mist and drizzle throughout the chilly, overcast day made sure there was no dust to settle. So... After tallying the results of the two Round Robins, Cindy announced that Judy Hillyer and Gordon Beveridge had each swept their matches to finish as the preliminaries' only undefeated contestants and would face each other in the first-to-eighteen-points Final.

An enthusiastic audience, including Ginger Cheng - winner of 2022's edition of this event who was on hand to congratulate her successor - gathered at the center rink. Applause was the order of the afternoon as both finalists showcased skills gleaned from many months of diligent practice and competition at various levels. Judy probably could make a case that Gordon be cited for petty larceny, as time and again she laid down an impeccable shot only to see him draw just a smidge closer or somehow pop her seemingly unbeatable bowl out of the head. Judy never faltered, but Gordon's repeated successes proved to be too much and he finally claimed victory shortly before dusk. Congratulations, Gordon!

Kudos to our stellar Hospitality Committee for providing goodies and to those participants who added extra treats. Thanks also to the day's volunteer markers. It was heartening to see the number of new bowlers stepping up for their first competition. The future looks bright for bowling at BLBC.

Great day on the Green

Updating our FB Page re 2023 BLBC 4-Bowl Singles Outcome, 9/16/2023

By Jim Corr

An unseasonably gray and chilly Saturday saw 14 players compete for the 2023 4-Bowl Singles title on a fast-running green. And the markers and small band of spectators saw some fine bowling and closely contested matches.

The format provided for a preliminary round of three matches played to first to 15 points, followed by the top two players from that stage battling it out in a first to 18 points Final.

At the end of the set of three matches, Jim Corr emerged in first place after defeating Bernie Chan, Daniel Gorelick (the latter in a down-to-the wire 15-14 victory) and Hugo Deaux. Meanwhile, Robin Hoey was also on 3 wins—over Jim Audas, Luis Zapata, and Phil Grattan—but had to await the outcome of the match between Ian Cameron and Bernie Chan. Ian went into that game with two wins (beating Annie Brillhart and Bing Burns along the way). A win by any margin would give Ian the advantage over Rob based on differential, but it turned out to be a nail biter. He and Bernie went toe-to-toe until tying at 14 each. With Bernie holding three shots, Ian snuck in with his last bowl to take the point and the game, edging Rob out of the Final by the margin of that one point.

The matchup for the Championship game was a repeat of the 2018 4-Bowl Singles Final in which Ian (then still a novice) had defeated Jim by a solitary point. He looked like handily repeating that win by jumping into a 13-5 lead. But after a short “bathroom break,” Jim returned to the field and bit by bit fought his way back into the match. Whether it was the break that broke the momentum, or his tactic of playing longer jacks than had been seen hitherto, or the “curse of 13” falling on Ian, Jim did not concede another point and worked his way steadily to an 18-13 victory.

Thanks go out to all those who assisted, especially our wonderful greeenskeeping team, the markers who gave up a part of their Saturday to keep the games flowing nicely, and to Sarah Allday and the hospitality crew for providing vittles.

Updating our page re Summer League Results and Winners, 8/23/2023

By Jim Corr

Our Wednesday evening Summer League came to an end last night after 7 weeks of keen competition. You will recall (or not!) that the format was 12-end Pairs games with separate round robin sections for Skips and Leads—i.e., each Skip played once against each other Skip and each Lead once against each other Lead. Unfortunately, the parameters did not allow us to arrange that each Lead played with or against each Skip only once, so there was some doubling or tripling of those combinations. That said, it was a fun event and a nice way to pass a summer evening. And in the end, as shown in the attachment, the winners were:

Skips—Cris Benton in 1st Place (with an impeccable 7 wins out of 7), Glenn Nunez 2nd Place, and Mo Shooer 3rd Place (just edging out Hugo Deaux). On the Leads’ side, Lennon Hamilton took 1st Place, aided by a victory against Cindy Moss on the final evening, who emerged 2nd, with Judy Hillyer coming up 3rd, by almost the narrowest possible margin ever. She and Gordon Beveridge were tied on win/loss points, tied on differential (points scored minus points ceded), and Judy won through the ratio of points scored to points ceded—a mere 2/1000th of a point!

Thanks to all the participants and those who participated as subs when needed due to absences. And to Cathy Dinnean for arranging snacks and drinks to round of the final week.

See you on the green.

Ann Brillhart and Jim Corr are headed to Nationals! We hope you bring us back a couple of trophies.

What a beautiful evening for a roll up!

Tunnel Challenge, 8/12/2023
BLBC Pres. Glenn Nunez to BLBCers on 8/14/2023:

As most of you know, this past Saturday saw our club host the annual Tunnel Challenge with our good friends – and worthy opponents – from Rossmoor LBC. Long-standing travel plans prevented BLBC’s Tournament Director from coordinating the event, but Jim confidently handed the reins to Cindy, who (if I do say so myself) acquitted herself admirably. Thanks to a crew of capable volunteers on all fronts, everything went off without a hitch.

Six teams of three bowlers from each club faced off in two 14 end matches. After a couple of routs and a couple of nail-biters, Berkeley’s squad found itself up 5-1 when the morning’s dust settled. A leisurely lunch preceded another set of games in the afternoon. The home team wasn’t about to squander its commanding lead and wound up repeating the morning’s result to handily secure victory. Once the engravers have etched “2023 BERKELEY” on the plaque, you’ll see it proudly displayed on our clubhouse walls for the first of what we hope will be many consecutive years.

Check out the pictures of everyone surrounding Aika holding the trophy and yours truly making sure Rossmoor’s President doesn’t abscond with it!

Now it’s on to the Meat Axe …

Thank you Ray Francis for your share of a little bit of BLBC history, 8/4/2023

A couple months ago I took a walk through El Cerrito’s Sunset View Cemetery. The columbarium happened to be open, so I took a walk through the halls. As I looked around, I found the remains of one of the BLBC’s founders: Dr. J. W. Henderson, D.O., along with those of some of his family. I went to the office to confirm that this was the BLBC’s Dr. Henderson (for whom the first green — the one next to the corporation yard building–is named for). The address on file for this Dr. Henderson was the Capistrano Avenue address for the BLBC’s Dr. Henderson.

A little bit of incidental history and happenstance that I thought I’d share.

“… and Annie makes two!”
BLBC Pres. Glenn Nunez to BLBCers on 7/10/2023:

We’ve all known that Annie Brillhart has made a business of taking care OF the green, but she’s also quite capable of taking care of business ON the green as well.

Yesterday, Annie carried BLBC’s flag to San Francisco for the PIMD Women’s Singles Playdowns to determine its representative for the 2023 U.S. National Championships. It was a one-day, round-robin, winner-take-all event and Annie’sfirst game was, as they say, “a real nail biter.” She quickly found herself down 7-0 to the eventual runner-up before rallying to an even position a dozen points in. From there the two women traded winning shots until they came to the ultimate end tied 17-17. That’s where Annie, in her own words, “snuck one on the jack” and then waited nervously to see if it would hold for the victory. It did. A couple of observers remarked that it was among the best games they’d ever witnessed. Annie then handily won her final two matches, emerging as the day’s only undefeated competitor and punching her ticket to Florida.

With Jim Corr’s matching honors from last month’s Men’s Playdowns, BLBC can now proudly lay claim to having BOTH of our division’s singles participants in this fall’s prestigious event in Florida. Annie and Jim are superb bowlers and we’re extremely pleased for – and proud of – both of them!

Congratulations, Annie. You’ve put in the work over the years, so you’ve earned this reward. Best of luck in Sun City!

BLBC 2023 Pairs Tournament on Saturday, 6/17/2023
BLBC Pres. Glenn Nunez to BLBCers:

With an enthusiastic audience of family, recuperating members, and our first-rate hospitality team - augmented by a few curious neighbors and dogs - cheering them on, twenty bowlers took to the Green on Saturday for our club's first tournament in way too long.

Ten pairs, made up of randomly-matched Skips and Leads with team handicaps ranging from zero to seven, faced off in three, ten-end games with an uncapped differential to determine two finalists. Despite having no handicap points, Hugo Deaux and Luis Zapata steamrolled their way through the preliminaries, emerging as the day's only undefeated pair.

Three teams, however, finished with 2 and 1 records, but only one could advance. Needing not to lose their last match to Rob Hoey and Leslie Engler by more than two points, Jim Corr and Bernie Chan found themselves down three as the last end was drawing to a close. Unsurprisingly, Jim was able to nudge the jack just close enough to one of Bernie's well-placed bowls to cut the deficit to two, thus ensuring their place in the finals.

After a slow start against Hugo and Luis, the Corr/Chan duo quickly found a higher gear and cruised to victory, ending the scheduled twelve-end match after only eleven ends. Jim has been on a roll this month, and Bernie showed us all the upside of persistence and lots of practice. Congratulations to you both for a well-deserved win.

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“Jim Corr is going to Florida!”
BLBC Pres. Glenn Nunez to BLBCers on 6/11/2023:

I just got word from my inside sources at Rossmoor that our very own Jim Corr has won the Men's Singles section of the PIMD Playdowns and will be representing our division at this year's U.S. National Championships in Sun City, Florida from October 29th to November 4th. Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club could not be any prouder!

This event started last weekend, as fourteen entrants were whittled down to the six who would come back yesterday to begin a two-day, five-match round robin. Jim took care of business Saturday, winning all three of his 21 point matches. He dropped his first match this morning, but came back to win his second with a few points to spare. A nail-biting wait followed as he watched the remaining two bowlers battle to a 19-19 deadlock before everything fell the right way on their final end, guaranteeing that our hero would be the only competitor to wind up four and one over the two days. Jim had booked his ticket!

Those of you who have watched Jim over the past several years know this is no fluke. Even after all his experience, he continues to practice and work hard on the physical aspects of his game. On the equally important mental side, he's always thinking about the nuances of each situation he finds himself facing, weighing the pros and cons of every shot selection. His even temper serves him well, as he never gets overconfident while simultaneously never beating himself up should things go awry. If you're looking for someone to emulate on the green, here's your man.

Jim, we're all extremely happy for you. Best of luck in Florida.

Score with Corr!!

“Remembering June Browne” 🙏
By Ray Francis, 5/24/2023

Many years ago, June Browne and her husband Howard joined my wife Shelagh and me at an Oakland East Bay Symphony concert that ended with Samuel Barber’s poignant “Adagio for Strings.” The piece begins with one of the more quiet sections in classical music, and at that moment a very loud fight broke out in the back of the Paramount Theater between an usher and a patron. The orchestra and Maestro Morgan soldiered on through the yelling, but then, post-fight, they played the entire piece again. Shortly afterwards, I saw June at the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club and mentioned the wildness of the night. She focused on the positive: “At least we got to hear the piece twice!” That was June: she did not turn a blind eye to problems, but if something had a silver lining, she resolved to find it.

June passed away this March after an illness and a short spell under hospice. She would have celebrated her 100th birthday in July. Our most senior continuous member, she joined the BLBC in 1988. June and Howard served the club in various ways. For many years, Howy (as he introduced himself) edited the paper version of the club’s “Green Sheet” newsletter. He also provided many photographs at club events, which he cheerfully did with skill. June could be counted on to help set up and clean up at club functions and for many years served on the Memorial and Endowments Fund as a valued trustee. June bowled amiably for many years–always a good sport and good team mate.

As Howard’s health declined from Parkinson’s, June made sure he could still attend events at the club, even as he bowled shorter and fewer games. After Howy died in 2007, June handled the big change in her life with grace and considerable verve. She continued to enjoy concerts, singing in the choir at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and traveling internationally.

Born in Riverside in 1923, June told me that her father died not long after she was born. Her mother struggled as a single parent, and June learned at an early age that women labored at a disadvantage in the world. The old saying went that for a woman to be considered as good as man, she had to perform twice as well. June did not seem at all daunted or–based on her personal observation–worried by this prospect. Whip smart (her knowledge of art, literature, and science ran impressively wide and deep), canny (as anyone who played poker with her soon found out), and realistic, June used her formidable intellect and resilience in anything she pursued. A proud graduate of UC Berkeley, she earned her degree in chemistry and worked in a lab. She met Howard (she once said about dating Howard, “He was such a good driver, and that impressed me in a young man.”), married him, and they began a family.

With their four sons, they took family trips in a camper and worked on their stunning mid-century modern house in the Kensington hills (she lovingly pointed out parts that Howard, ever the hands-on engineer, built or modified in the house). She created a beautiful garden in the back with fruit trees and flowers that in her later years gave her great pleasure to look upon. She liked that some of the neighborhood cats adopted her–they knew quality.

June launched into her 90’s with an energy that many friends decades younger could only envy. She continued to sing in her choir, she went to shows, she took grandchildren on trips to Europe, she toured with her choir, and she played poker regularly at the BLBC clubhouse. Game for anything!

June liked to entertain. She graciously hosted small events in salon style, and she liked a good conversation about serious things over appetizers and wine. She liked hearing about new things. Some people may have looked at June and thought her a little formal in her way; I never heard her call her husband “Howy,” she always called him “Howard.” She did not seem to care for anything diminutive in things or in people; she preferred everything at full-strength. Any time spent with June after that initial introduction revealed a sincere, curious, and generous person. June liked a good laugh, and her mischievous grin responding to a well-delivered bon mot served as quite a reward.

We at the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club will miss June. But mostly we will fondly remember her time with the club and the times she worked and played with us. We offer our condolences to her family, and thank them for sharing June with us for 35 years.

Photos from Life Membership Recognition Day - Saluting Life Members on Saturday, 6/9/2023

Honoring Life Members Ted Crum and Ray Francis and In Memory of Life Member June Browne

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Photos from BLBC’s Green Reopening Party on Saturday, 5/27/2023

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Thank you Bernadette Chan for your recent photos from the Berkeley Mixed Fives & Aussie Pairs, April 2023

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2023 Howard Mackey Jamboree Winners:

Skips:
1st Place: David Usher (Palo Alto)
2nd Place: Bing (aka Gary) Burns (San Francisco; dual member Berkeley)
3rd Place: Andrew Keeler (San Francisco)
4th Place: John Grimes (San Francisco)

Vices:
1st Place: Lennon Hamilton (Berkeley)
2nd Place: Cris Benton (Berkeley)
3rd Place: Billy Wilson (San Francisco)
4th Place: Luis Zapata (San Francisco; dual member Berkeley)

Leads:
1st Place: Carrie Chiang (San Francisco)
2nd Place: Lydia Zapata (San Francisco; dual member Berkeley)
3rd Place: Mei Chan (San Francisco)
4th Place: Ginger Cheng (Berkeley)

Excerpt from Berkeleyside article “10 very Berkeley date ideas”:

“Yes, lawn bowling

Hear us out. This ancient cousin to indoor bowling is an excellent outdoor activity for not-so-perfect weather (Lawn Bowling is enjoyable even under a drizzle). This date idea is also a perfect chance to test your crush’s frustration threshold, as getting the hang of this deceivingly simple-looking game requires patience and good coordination skills. Tucked in the Poet’s Corner in West Berkeley, the bowling green has been part of the city for almost 100 years. For just $5, visitors can play a game. The club offers snacks and soft drinks, but feel free to bring your sandwiches and snacks.”

What a day! What a final! Ginger Cheng takes Berkeley 2022 Novice Singles Title

The 2022 BLBC Novice Singles Tournament—yes, that’s the 2022 event—finally took place on February 4, 2023 after several postponements in December and January due to the welcome but, for bowlers frustrating, winter bomb cyclones and atmospheric rivers that the Bay Area has been subjected to.

Undaunted by the prospect of further inclement weather during the day, 12 eager Novices took to the damp and heavy green and braved a day of cold, wind, and showers—sometimes intense—to show their mettle. (“Fine bowling weather” it’s called in Scotland.) Given the uncertain conditions, a last minute decision was made by the Tournament Team to abjure the usual singles format of playing till a certain number of points is scored and instead to have games run to 15 ends, in the hope that this would expedite play and allow the tournament to be completed on the day.

By random draw, the field of 12 went through three preliminary rounds with only two players emerging as winners of all three of their games. This resulted in a final matchup of Tom Birt and Ginger Cheng, and what a final they gave us.

End for end, bowl for bowl, they assiduously contested every point, with the lead moving back and forth over the course of the match due to excellent shots by each player. On the 15th end, you just knew it would happen, on a beautiful draw Tom seized two points to tie the score, so a last, tie-breaking end had to be played. With Ginger lying shot, Tom had little option but to try a “yard on” with his last bowl. In it came, edging the jack over four feet to where one of his bowls was closest, but before he could celebrate victory his runner continued, nudging Ginger’s bowl just enough to put it a few inches closer to the jack than Tom’s, giving her the game and the 2022 Novice title by a single point. It was a final to grace any tournament, let alone a Novice one.

Thanks are due to many people, not least Tom himself as a “Novice” Tournament Director in difficult circumstances, to all who helped with hospitality and green setup, and especially the veteran bowlers who volunteered their time as markers and who carried on through the on again/off again downpours.

- Report courtesy of Jim Corr

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Early Sunday morning risers … please join us on Sundays from 10 AM to 12 Noon for draw games or for lessons

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PIMD 2022 McLaren Rotational Triples, 8/27/2022

Photographs courtesy of Bernadette Chan

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BLBC 2022 Pairs Tournament, 10/22/2022

BLBC 2022 Pairs Culminates in Dramatic Final

The Club’s 2022 Pairs Tournament was held on Saturday, October 2022 and featured eight teams, first playing a series of three randomly-drawn 10-end games. The two top teams from that round went forward into a 10-end final. Teams had been formed by a random matching of Skips with Leads and had been handicapped based on the combined handicap of Skip and Lead.

Only one team—Gary “Bing” Burns and Gordon Beveridge—emerged from the prelims with three wins, while three others had won two of their three matches. Of the latter, Chris Davis and Sarah Allday moved on to the final through having the best differential among the tied second place teams.

And what a final it was! A delight to the assembled spectators. Starting out with a net handicap in this matchup of +5 and taking three shots on the first end, Gary and Gordon looked in a formidable position. But Chris and Sarah were not giving in that easily and fought their way back into the match to tie it up at 9-9 on the eight end. Both teams were bowling really well, drawing continuous applause from the peanut gallery for shot after excellent shot, a particularly spectacular one being from Gary to slip in on the 9th end with his last bowl and take away Sarah’s point that was sitting less than two inches from the jack. The perfectly executed draw slowed as it drew in and curved just so to nestle an inch behind the jack. But the undaunted Davis/Allday team were not yet out and grabbed a single point on the 10th end to tie the game.

A 1-end bowl-off determined the winners. Chris and Sarah were now on a roll and put in great shots to win by three points and thereby emerge as 2022 Pairs Champions.

Congratulations Chris and Sarah and thanks to all the participants for a fine day of bowling, to the hospitality crew of Sarah and Rolayn for vittles, and, as always, to our Greenskeeper Annie for what must currently be the fastest natural cover green in the PIMD.

- Report courtesy of Jim Corr

Rossmoor Challenge, 11/5/2022

The “Allende El Cerro” Trophy Goes to the Other Side of the Hill
They say “better late than never,” but when the news is not so good, maybe it’s not so good. Anyhoosies, with apologies for the delay to those of you not already aware, we lost the annual challenge match to Rossmoor LBC on Saturday, November 5.
We fielded six triples teams for a morning and afternoon game, but sadly only managed two wins on either side of lunch. Rumor has it that the Rossmoor folks were riled up by your humble correspondent holding up the trophy at announcements time, urging our hosts to take a good look, as some of them had never seen it before. (Berkeley had won the preceding four years in a row.) Lesson learned.
The trophy titled “Allende El Cerro” translates as “Over the Hill” to some people—a bit too close to the bone for me, with its whiff of an implication that lawn bowls is a sport for geezers. “On the other side of the hill” is a perfectly good alternative.
Riled or not, our Rossmoor colleagues were ever gracious and laid on a very nice lunch with hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hot links with all the fixings and then some, served up by grillmaster Ozzie Ozorio. We thank them and look forward to next year’s match-up here at home when we anticipate the trophy will return to this side of the hill!
- Report courtesy of Jim Corr

BLBC 2022 4-Bowl Singles

The 2022 4-Bowl Singles Tournament was a split affair, with the first stage being a round robin of four groups of three played over the course of September, and the winner of each game being the first to reach 16 points. The top two players in each group proceeded to the playoff round on Saturday, September 24.

Based on their performances in the round robin phase, the eight remaining contestants were seeded for the quarter-final round with 1 v 8, 2 v 7, and so on, resulting in a match up of Cris Benton v Phil Grattan, Sal Garcia-Lemus v Jim Corr, Rob Hoey v Cathy Dinnean, and Gary “Bing” Burns v Tom Birt. Those games, like the semis, were also played on the basis of first to reach 16 points. From the quarters, Phil, Jim, Rob, and Bing emerged to duke it out in the semis. The Jim v Bing match-up was close fought, tying at 12-12 before Bing gained one point on the 15th end, followed by a game-winning three on the next one. In the other semi, Phil led from the outset, and, while Rob sought valiantly to fight back, Phil ran out on top by 16-6.

The final was set up on the classic format of first to 21 points for singles events. Phil once again dominated. But Bing was determined to make it a real contest and came back from what could have been a spirit-sapping position of down 18-1 after seven ends to bring it to 19-12 by the 15th. However, with a couple of 1-pointers on the next two ends, Phil showed his determination not to let victory slip from his grasp and prevailed as the 2022 4-Bowl Singles Champion.

Congratulations to Phil and thanks to all who took part in the event including the early contenders. As always thanks to our hospitality crew for sustenance and to our greenskeeper for the quality of the green.

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Bay Bridge Challenge, 9/17/2022

The 2022 Bay Bridge Challenge, the annual “friendly rivalry” event between BLBC and our colleagues of the San Francisco BLC was held at the Berkeley green on Saturday, September 17. Cutting to the chase, Berkeley won a hard-fought and close match-up by 6 ½ games to 5 ½.
Six triples teams from both clubs competed for the honors, with Berkeley taking the morning round by 4 games to 2. But San Francisco did not give up the shield easily, coming back to take the afternoon 3 ½ to 2 ½. Close, but not quite enough to prevent the trophy returning to its rightful home.
There was good bowling all round and one is loathe to single out particular individuals or teams, but special mention must go to the afternoon trio of Sal Garcia-Lemus, Gary Burns (actually a dual SF-Berkeley member who was “lent” to us by SF for the occasion), and Stephen Ng. Down by 10 points to 2 by the 4th end, they clawed their way back, with one-point wins on 9 of the next 10 ends, to bring about an 11-11 tie. That half point meant that we did not need go to overall differential points to decide the final outcome. Well done to them and to all Berkeley bowlers whose overall performance won the day.
Thanks, as always, to our hospitality crew for refreshments, to everyone who helped with green set up, and to Greenskeeper Ann Brillhart for ensuring a good, fast-running surface.
- Report courtesy of Jim Corr

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Trophy Presentation

A belated Happy New Year to ALL of you, your families and friends. May the year be filled with peace, happiness, good health & great lawn bowling! Stay safe, warm & dry this season ❤️

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Photo taken Oct. 2022